Witness reveals story behind Manus Island violence

A witness to violence at the Manus Island offshore processing centre claims that, following provocation by detainees, guards allowed armed locals into the centre where they assaulted asylum seekers.

Transcript

SARAH FERGUSON, PRESENTER: As the political debate rages, a new insider account of the bloodshed on Manus Island has emerged. A witness has told 7.30 that following provocation by detainees, guards from the security firm G4S allowed locals armed with makeshift weapons into the detention centre last Monday night, where he says they brutally assaulted asylum seekers. PNG correspondent Liam Cochrane filmed this story on Manus Island, despite efforts by security staff to shut down reporting of events at the centre.

LIAM COCHRANE, REPORTER: This is what the Australian-run detention centre on Manus Island looks like in the wake of last week's trouble. G4S security guards don't allow the media to get anywhere near the facility, but this video was smuggled out. It shows detainees clearing their trashed rooms for repair and eating a meal outside on the ground since the mess hall was damaged in the riot.

Two weeks of peaceful protests erupted on 16th February after asylum seekers received news about resettlement. Reports differ on exactly what they were told. Australia's Immigration Department says they were informed PNG was the only option for resettlement. The following night, things got worse.

This Papua New Guinean guard is employed by the security firm at the centre, G4S. He spoke on condition of anonymity, afraid of losing his job, and says asylum seekers were taunting the local staff.

PAPUA NEW GUINEAN G4S GUARD: They were swearing at us, they give us, they say, like, **** PNG and something like that. They don't like us. So they're harassing us. At the same they're throwing stones, pushing gates.

LIAM COCHRANE: There at the scene that night were expatriate G4S guards, mostly Australian, who live on the floating hotel behind me. There were Papua New Guinean G4S guards, some in uniform, some out of uniform, and some in riot gear, known as the IRT, or Incident Response Team. PNG's mobile squad were the only ones with guns and a crowd of locals gathered to watch a standoff that continued for several hours.

The protests were concentrated in Mike Compound, but as detainees in Foxtrot Compound were taken to a nearby playing field for safety, some escaped and joined in the riot.

This is the only image to emerge from the night of February 17, appearing to show the G4S riot team at the fence outside the detention centre.

This witness watched from about 100 metres away, but wouldn't be identified for fear of repercussions from security guards.

WITNESS: The police fired warning shots and that scared the clients and they went into their rooms., so that's when the G4S went in. And when the G4S get into the camp, they belt, they fight with the clients and belt them very badly and same are wounded, blood run over their face.

LIAM COCHRANE: Witnesses and guards say some G4S staff were injured by stones or by asylum seekers fighting back. There have been conflicting reports about whether local residents joined in the brawl. This witness is certain 10 to 15 locals armed with lengths of wood got involved.

WITNESS: But the locals went in.

LIAM COCHRANE: And are you sure that they were local residents and not G4S people out of uniform?

WITNESS: Yeah, of course. They're some locals. Because the locals came to see what's happening. They're on the road and see what's happening, so when the fence, the gates just - the G4S guards just break down the fence. They told everybody to go in and stop them and hit them and fight them, so that's when the locals get in.

LIAM COCHRANE: So the G4S guards asked the locals to come inside?

WITNESS: Yeah. Because the G4S guards want manpower to help them, so they took them inside, the locals helped them.

LIAM COCHRANE: Besides firing the shots, according to this witness, the police Mobile Squad played a limited role. He claims it was Papua New Guinean G4S guards who did most of the fighting.

WITNESS: The police just secured the perimeter, the fence. The G4S, they went in to do the beating and fighting.

PAPUA NEW GUINEAN G4S GUARD: During the fight, the most security personnel on the ground was only G4S.

LIAM COCHRANE: It was the front line of a battle fought over pride.

WITNESS: When they get in they are so angry, they like they are in a war or something, they are not happy, their faces are so serious. They go in and belt the clients up.

LIAM COCHRANE: Some of the asylum seekers who tried to escape the violence by hiding in a gym were dragged out and brought brutally assaulted.

WITNESS: When they went down, some guards ran - they came after they just kicked them again. The other guards come again. They all have their turn to fight them.

LIAM COCHRANE: The expatriate guards reportedly stayed out of the violence for the most part, trying to calm the situation and overseeing operations.

An Australian G4S guard who wouldn't appear on camera because of his contract with the company told the ABC the 23-year-old Iranian man who died, Reza Berati, was hit with lengths of wood, with metal poles taken from beds and had his head or neck stomped. But the ABC cannot verify the accuracy of this information.

Following the deadly riot, the protests have stopped and security around the facility tightened.

Twice the ABC has been forced by local police to delete footage, once under direct threat of arrest.

Here on Manus Island, some locals believe the violence could be repeated if the processing of refugee applications continues to drag on.

WITNESS: If the processing process takes slowly, then it will happen again.